Dementia Researcher Blogs

Dr Sam Moxon - Why the Link Between Obesity and Dementia is Good News

Dr Sam Moxon, narrates his blog written for Dementia Researcher.
In this insightful blog, Sam Moxon discusses the surprising silver lining in the link between obesity and dementia. While highlighting the concerning rise in dementia cases due to lifestyle factors, Sam offers a message of empowerment. He argues that understanding the role of obesity in dementia is not just alarming, but also an opportunity for positive change. Through personal anecdotes and scientific insights, he demonstrates how making healthier life choices can significantly reduce dementia risk, turning a daunting prediction into a call for actionable, hopeful change.
Find the original text, and narration here on our website.
https://www.dementiaresearcher.nihr.ac.uk/blog-why-the-link-between-obesity-dementia-is-good-news/
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Dr Sam Moxon is a biomaterials Research Fellow at University of Birmingham. His expertise falls on the interface between biology and engineering. His PhD focussed on regenerative medicine and he now works on trying to develop 3D bioprinting techniques with human stem cells, so that we better understand and treat degenerative diseases. Outside of the lab he hikes through the Lake District and is an expert on all things Disney.
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Enjoy listening and reading our blogs? We're always on the look out for new contributors, drop us a line and share your own research and careers advice dementiaresearcher@ucl.ac.uk
This podcast is brought to you in association with the NIHR, Alzheimer's Association, Alzheimer's Research UK, Alzheimer's Society and Race Against Dementia, who we thank for their ongoing support.

Emily Spencer - The Path Less Travelled

Emily Spencer, narrating her blog written for the Dementia Researcher website.
Emily is a second-year PhD student at University College London (and our newest staff blogger), in this blog she provide an intorudction, sharing her unconventional academic journey and experiences as a researcher and soon-to-be parent.
Growing up as the 'academic' one in a large family, Emily's route to academia was not straightforward. She casually chose to study Psychology at Bath, which led to valuable research experience and a publication. After various jobs ranging from a research administrator to working in a psychiatric hospital and as a musician, Emily returned to research during the pandemic. Now at UCL, she's working on a PhD about communication in advance care planning for people with dementia, documenting her experiences in research and her personal life, including her pregnancy, in real time in her future blogs.
Find the original text, and narration here on our website.
https://www.dementiaresearcher.nihr.ac.uk/blog-the-path-less-travelled/
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Emily Spencer is a PhD Student at University College London looking at improving how GPs communicate with people with dementia and their family carers about their future care. Emily previous had a 5 year career break to pursue a career as a muscian, and has previously undertaken research on improving the care people with dementia receive from their GP practice, as well as end-of-life and palliative care provision in the community. Emily is also a new mum and will be writing about her experiences navigating motherhood and a research career.
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Enjoy listening? We're always looking for new bloggers, drop us a line. http://www.dementiaresearcher.nihr.ac.uk
This podcast is brought to you in association with Alzheimer's Association, Alzheimer's Research UK, Alzheimer's Society and Race Against Dementia, who we thank for their ongoing support.

Dr Clarissa Giebel - The importance of good mentorship

Dr Clarissa Giebel narrates her blog written for Dementia Researcher.
Clarissa's blog emphasises the crucial role of mentors throughout various stages of a research career, from PhD students to senior leaders. Clarissa highlights the benefits of mentorship in offering career guidance, new ideas, and a chance to reflect on one's path with the insight of experienced academics. She suggests seeking mentors both within and outside one's field and underscores the importance of having a good rapport. The blog also touches on the unique challenges faced by female academics, advocating for mentorship as a way to navigate these challenges and encouraging researchers to actively seek mentorship opportunities.
Find the original text, and narration here on our website.
https://www.dementiaresearcher.nihr.ac.uk/blog-the-importance-of-good-mentorship/
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Dr Clarissa Giebel is a Senior Research Fellow at the University of Liverpool and NIHR ARC North West Coast. Clarissa has been working in dementia care research for over 10 years focusing her research on helping people with dementia to live at home independently and well for longer, addressing inequalities that people with dementia and carers can face. Outside of her day work, Clarissa has also organised a local dementia network - the Liverpool Dementia & Ageing Research Forum, and has recently started her own podcast called the Ageing Scientist.
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If you would like to write your own blog drop us a line, we're always on the look out for new contributors to write about their research, careers + more dementiaresearcher@ucl.ac.uk 
This podcast is brought to you in association with Alzheimer's Association, Alzheimer's Research UK, Alzheimer's Society and Race Against Dementia, who we thank for their ongoing support.

Dr Jodi Watt - Tokenism and the challenges of diverse recruitment

Dr Jodi Watt, narrating a new blog they wrote for the Dementia Researcher website.
Jodi's blog critically examines tokenism in academia, highlighting its impact on individuals with intersectional identities. She argues that showcasing underrepresented groups as a facade of inclusivity fails to bring about real systemic change, placing undue mental burden on those treated as tokens. This practice not only affects individual experiences and career progression but also undermines the quality and inclusivity of academic research, particularly in fields like dementia research. What needs to change? Jodi advocates for genuine inclusivity over symbolic diversity.
Find the original text, and narration here on our website.
https://www.dementiaresearcher.nihr.ac.uk/blog-tokenism-and-the-challenges-of-diverse-recruitment/
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Dr Jodi Watt is a Postdoctoral Researcher at University of Glasgow. Jodi's academic interests are in both healthy ageing and neurodegenerative diseases of older age, and they are currently working on drug repurposing for dementia. Previously they worked on understanding structural, metabolic and physiological brain changes with age, as measured using magnetic resonance imaging. As a queer and neurodiverse person, Jodi is also incredibly interested in improving diversity and inclusion practices both within and outside of the academic context.
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Enjoy listening? We're always looking for new bloggers, drop us a line. http://www.dementiaresearcher.nihr.ac.uk
This podcast is brought to you in association with Alzheimer's Association, Alzheimer's Research UK, Alzheimer's Society and Race Against Dementia, who we thank for their ongoing support.

Hannah Hussain - What is statistical mapping?

Hannah Hussain narrates her blog written for Dementia Researcher.
Hannah's blog addresses the intricacies of statistical mapping, a technique essential to her work investigating the differences in quality of life assessments for people living with dementia as reported by themselves and their proxies. She discusses her approach to quantitative analysis and the challenges she faced in understanding and applying statistical mapping. The blog aims to clarify this complex technique and provide guidance to those who are beginning to explore this area of research.
Find the original text, and narration here on our website.
https://www.dementiaresearcher.nihr.ac.uk/blog-what-is-statistical-mapping/
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Hannah Hussain is a PhD Student in Health Economics at The University of Sheffield. As a proud third generation  migrant and British-Asian, her career path has been linear and ever evolving, originally qualifying as a Pharmacist in Nottingham, then Health Economics in Birmingham. Her studies have opened a world into Psychology, Mental Health and other areas of health, and with that and personal influences she found her passion for dementia.
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This podcast is brought to you in association with Alzheimer's Association, Alzheimer's Research UK, Alzheimer's Society and Race Against Dementia, who we thank for their ongoing support.
Enjoy listening? We're always looking for new bloggers, drop us a line dementiaresearcher@ucl.ac.uk  

Dr Anna Volkmer - Building blocks and PhD supervision skills

Dr Anna Volkmer, narrates her blog written for Dementia Researcher.
Anna details her evolution from a Speech and Language Therapist to a PhD supervisor, highlighting her unique approach to supervising students. With a background rich in clinical experience, she applies strategies akin to coaching, emphasising reflective questioning and empathic listening. This helps supervisees develop their own conclusions and coping strategies. Drawing on her experiences as a PhD student and early career researcher, Anna emphasises a collaborative and supportive supervisory style. She focuses on refining students' research, presentation, and writing skills, while encouraging independence and responsibility. Her blog reflects on the challenges and joys of supervising, her commitment to supporting students financially, and her efforts in building a research team with a goal to aid people with dementia and their families.
Find the original text, and narration here on our website.
https://www.dementiaresearcher.nihr.ac.uk/blog-building-blocks-and-supervision-skills/
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Dr Anna Volkmer is a Speech and Language Therapist and researcher in Language and Cognition, Department of Psychology and Language Sciences, University College London. Anna is researching Speech and language therapy interventions in language led dementia and was once voted scariest speech and language therapist (even her children agree).
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If you would like to write your own blog drop us a line, we're always on the look out for new contributors to write about their research, careers + more dementiaresearcher@ucl.ac.uk
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This podcast is brought to you in association with Alzheimer's Association, Alzheimer's Research UK, Alzheimer's Society and Race Against Dementia, who we thank for their ongoing support.

Rebecca Williams - The Horror of P-Values

Rebecca Williams, narrates her blog written for the Dementia Researcher website.
In this blog Rebecca explores the challenges of using p-values in statistics, comparing their anxiety-inducing nature to horror movie jump scares. Critiquing the arbitrary 0.05 significance threshold, it suggests this leads to false results. Rebecca promotes Bayesian statistics as a more intuitive alternative, offering clearer interpretations and support for null hypotheses. Do you agree? Rebecca argues for the importance of recognising null results in research, aligning with the move towards open science.
Find the original text, and narration here on our website.
https://www.dementiaresearcher.nihr.ac.uk/blog-the-horror-of-p-values/
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Rebecca Williams is PhD student at the University of Cambridge. Though originally from ‘up North’ in a small town called Leigh, she did her undergraduate and masters at the University of Oxford before defecting to Cambridge for her doctorate researching Frontotemporal dementia and Apathy. She now spends her days collecting data from wonderful volunteers, and coding. Outside work, she plays board games, and is very crafty. @beccasue99
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Enjoy listening? We're always looking for new bloggers, drop us a line. http://www.dementiaresearcher.nihr.ac.uk
This podcast is brought to you in association with Alzheimer's Association, Alzheimer's Research UK, Alzheimer's Society and Race Against Dementia, who we thank for their ongoing support.

Dr Sam Moxon - Feeling Overwhelmed? Get away from your desk!

Dr Sam Moxon, narrates his blog written for Dementia Researcher.
Sam's blog addresses the familiar struggle of feeling overwhelmed by work, particularly in demanding fields like academia, industrial research, and medicine. He candidly shares his own experiences with managing a heavy workload, including sorting multiple papers and dealing with grant deadlines, while trying to maintain lab research. Sam emphasises the importance of self-care and taking breaks, drawing on a personal anecdote where a walk in a green space significantly alleviated his stress and anxiety. He notes the evolutionary benefits of nature in inducing calmness and the necessity of stepping away from the desk to maintain well-being and productivity. The blog serves as a reminder that taking time for oneself is not only beneficial but essential in preventing burnout and maintaining mental clarity, especially in high-pressure environments.
Find the original text, and narration here on our website.
https://www.dementiaresearcher.nihr.ac.uk/blog-feeling-overwhelmed-get-away-from-your-desk/
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Dr Sam Moxon is a biomaterials Research Fellow at University of Birmingham. His expertise falls on the interface between biology and engineering. His PhD focussed on regenerative medicine and he now works on trying to develop 3D bioprinting techniques with human stem cells, so that we better understand and treat degenerative diseases. Outside of the lab he hikes through the Lake District and is an expert on all things Disney.
--
Enjoy listening and reading our blogs? We're always on the look out for new contributors, drop us a line and share your own research and careers advice dementiaresearcher@ucl.ac.uk
This podcast is brought to you in association with the NIHR, Alzheimer's Association, Alzheimer's Research UK, Alzheimer's Society and Race Against Dementia, who we thank for their ongoing support.

Beth Eyre - How to make your PhD application stand out

Beth Eyre narrates her blog written for Dementia Researcher.
To make your PhD application stand out, Beth advises crafting a detailed academic CV that highlights specific interests and experiences relevant to the PhD, and supplementing it with a personal statement that conveys genuine enthusiasm for the subject. She emphasises the importance of demonstrating this interest through actions like attending webinars or joining professional societies, such as ISTAART for Alzheimer’s research. Sharing pertinent research experience and expressing a clear rationale for wanting to work in a particular lab or university are also key to differentiating your application from others.
Find the original text, and narration here on our website.
https://www.dementiaresearcher.nihr.ac.uk/blog-how-to-make-your-phd-application-stand-out/
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Dr (pending minor amendments) Beth Eyre is a Postdoctoral Researcher at The University of Sheffield, researching Neurovascular and cognitive function in preclinical models of Alzheimer’s disease. Beth has a background in psychology, where she gained her degree from the University of Leeds. Inside and outside the lab, Beth loves sharing her science and in her blogs, she discusses her work, career and shares lessons she learns as she navigates life as an early career researcher.
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This podcast is brought to you in association with Alzheimer's Association, Alzheimer's Research UK, Alzheimer's Society and Race Against Dementia, who we thank for their ongoing support. Enjoy listening? We're always on the look out for new contributors, if you would like to write and narrate your own blog - drop us a line dementiaresearcher@ucl.ac.uk. 
Don't forget to also listen to our fortnightly podcast, just look for Dementia Researcher in your podcast app.